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Thera 1.10: Punnamasa
Tipitaka >> Sutta Pitaka >> Khuddaka Nikaya >> Theragatha >> Thera(10):Punnamasa Adapted from the Archaic Translation by Mrs. C.A.F. Rhys Davids. Commentary (Atthakatha) By Acariya Dhammapala Note: 'C' in Pali text is pronounced as 'ch' as in 'China'. ---- Chapter I. Single Verses =10. Puṇṇamāsa= Reborn in this Buddha-age as the eon of Samiddbi, a brahmin(priest) of Sāvatthī, he left the world(for monkhood) when a son was born to him, and entering the Monk’s order under the Exalted One(Buddha), took the Four Truths as his exercise in meditation, and became an arabant. His former wife sought to seduce him from his faith, visiting him decorated, and with her 16 child. But the Monk, showing his utter detachment, uttered this saying(gatha): ---- 10 Vihari apekkhaɱ idha vā huraɱ vā|| Yo vedagu samito yatatto|| Sabbesu dhammesu anūpalitto|| Lokassa dhaññā udayabbayaññā' ti.|| || ---- 10 All longings as to this or other life Have I put far from me, as one who has Beta'en himself to truth, whose heart's at peace, Who, self-subdued, in all things undefiled, Discerns the world's incessant ebb and flow. ---- Then the woman thinking, 'This holy man cares not for me nor for the child; I am not able to persuade him,' went away.1 ---- 1 A curious feature about this story is the repetition of it, again as Puṇṇamāsa's, in Chapter II., the Commentator taking no notice of the substantial identity in legend and authorship. See Ps. CXLVI. ---- 1.1-1010 Commentary on the stanza of =Puṇṇamāsa Thera= The stanza starting with Vihariapekkhaṃ constitutes the stanza of the venerable Thera Puṇṇamāsa. That is the origin? It is said that he was reborn in the womb of a ruddy goose (cakkavāka) at the time of the Blessed One Vipassī. On having seen the Glorius One going, the bird became pious-minded, collected the Sal flower by means of its own beak and made its reverential offering. On account of that act of merit it wandered about its rounds of repeated rebirths among divine and human beings and became a world-king eight times seventeen aeons (kappa) ago, from now. In this aeon (kappa) however, when the dispensation of the Glorius One Kassapa was waning he was reborn in the family of an estate-owner (kuṭumbi), renounced the world, performed the duties of a monk and on having passed away thence, he wandered about his rounds of repeated rebirths and was reborn as the son of a brahmin named Samiddhi, in the city of Sāvatthi, when this Buddha arose. On the day he was born, in that house, all the empty vessels (kumbhi) became brimful of gold coins. On that account they made him known by name of Puṇṇamāsa. On having come of age, he attained proficiency in all kinds of brahmanic science (vijjā), got married, gained a son, got dispised with his household life because of his having been endowed with sufficing qualification for Arahantship (upanissaya) approached the Glorius One, listened to the teaching (dhamma), properly gained pious faith, renounced the world, gained the monk’s ordination (upasampadā), made himself replete with preliminary duties, engaged himself devotedly in the mental exercise (kammaṭṭhāna) on fourfold noble truths (catusacca), got eagerly engrossed in the development of clear spiritual insight (vipassanā) and attained Arahantship. Therefore, it has been stated in the Apadāna:– “On the shore of the river Sindhu, I was then a ruddy goose (cakkavāka). I was an eater of clean moss and I was well-restrained in avoiding evil- deeds. I caught sight of the stainless Buddha going through the sky. Plucking (paggayha) the Sal flower by means of my beak, I specially offered (abhiropayiṃ) it to Buddha Vipassī. He, whose pious faith in Tathāgata was unshaken and well-established did not go to purgatory (duggati) because of the pious-mind. Good coming certainly was mine to the presence of the most excellent Buddha; with the tranquil sky-goer good seed had been sown by me. It was ninety one arons (kappa) ago from now that I offered flower reverentially. I do not remember any adversity (duggati); this is the fruition of reverential offering to Buddha. Sucārudassana by name, these eight of the same single name became world knigs of great strength in seventeen aeons (kappa). My different kinds of depravity (kilesa) had been burnt; … Buddha’s instruction (sāsana) had been carried out. Then, his former wife being desirious of luring him approached him along with properly dressed and adorned son and began to make what was known as the performance (kamma) of unveiling her condition (bhāvavivaraṇa) with such conditions as lovely conversation and so on. On having seen her making the performance, the Thera uttered a stanza starting with “vihari apekkhaṃ” in order to make manifest his own detachment from anywhere whatsoever. 10. There, the expression vihari means he carried off, led away. The expression apekkhaṃ means craving, (taṇhā). The expression idha means either in this world or in his own existence. Huraṃ means either in another time to come or in future existence. In other words: idha refers to internal abodes of senses. Huraṃ refers to external (abodes of senses). The grammatical word vā is a particle signifying accumulation as in such cases as “apadā vā dvipadā vā, legless and two-legged,” and so on. The expression yo points out but himself as if to another. The expression vedagū means: gone by means of knowledge (veda), gone to and achieved niggāna by means of the knowledge (ñāṇa), of the right path (magga); alternatively, stood having realised (abhisamecca) the four noble truths (sacca) by way of full-understanding (abhisamaya) as such namely; all round comprehension (pariññā) and avoidance (pahāna), of dukkha, the visualisation (sacchikiriya) of nibbāna and the development (bhāvanā) of the path leading to nibbāna. The expression yatatto means the state of self-control by means of self-control of noble path (megga): alternatively the state of self-control by means of right exertion. The expression: sabbesu dhammesu anupalitto means:– not smeared by way of being smeared with craving (taṇhā), heretical view (diṭṭhi) in all objects of sense (ārammaṇa dhamma); by that he shows his own having gone beyond (samatikkama) of such viscissitudes of life (lokadhamma) as gain (lābha) and so on. Lokassa means: of the five aggregates (khandha) of attachment (upādāna): that indeed is the world (loka) because of dissolution (lujjana) and destruction (palujjana). Jaññā means having known. Udayabbayañca means but the springing up and passing away also; by this, he shows the proper practice (paṭipadā) which constitutes the prior portion (pubbabhāga) of qualities according as stated. This, however, is the meaning here:– He who is not smeared (upalitta) anywhere, who is self-controlled (yatatta), who had attained the highest knowledge (vedagū) after having come to know the appearance and disappearance (udayabbaya) of the entire world of aggragates (khandha) and so on along with a total of fifty characteristics (ākāra), would dispell craving everywhere and being contented does not think of such variety of changes as made by you as anything worthwhile; therefore, O you blind fool! You should go back by the very road you have come.” Thereupon that lady took her departure saying: “This monk had no craving desire for me as well as for my son; it is not possible to lure him.” The Commentary on the stanza of the Thera Puṇṇamāsa is complete. **********oOo********* The Commentary on the first Chapter of Paramatthadipanī, the Commentary on Theragāthā is complete. *********oOo********* ----